22 August 2012 9:52 AM

Crawley charge still gathering momentum despite rollercoaster year

The time between the end of one season and the start of the next is characterised by change, as players, managers and backroom staff move to pastures new. Sometimes, even clubs relocate – Rotherham returned home this summer after a four-year hiatus in Sheffield. Eventually, however, normality and certainty returns.

But when Crawley Town lost their second manager in just four months, after Sean O’Driscoll left for Nottingham Forest without taking charge of a competitive game during a two-month flying visit, stability looked a long way away.

After all, O’Driscoll’s appointment in May was supposed to be a turning point for Crawley after the sudden departure of Steve Evans to Rotherham and the earlier loss of star players Tyrone Barnett and Matt Tubbs in the January transfer window.

Turbulent year: Evans (above left) and Tubbs (above right) and O'Driscoll (below) have all departed the Broadfield Stadium this year‘We thought we had stability when Sean came but then the bombshell hit that he had gone,’ recalls Dannie Bulman, Crawley’s long-serving midfielder. ‘But it’s settled down a bit now and it’s nice to get on with it and know who the manager is for the next few years.’

That man is Richie Barker, appointed just 15 days ago. How long he stays is anyone’s guess. For Crawley – like Portsmouth and Leeds – are a modern day club seemingly attracted to turbulence.

In 2006, they were on the brink of extinction and were only saved by an eleventh-hour rescue package. A year later, they were handed a six-point penalty ahead of the new season for financial irregularities. In 2009, former chairman Mohammed Azwar Majeed was jailed for tax fraud relating to other businesses. And, 12 months on, Crawley were summoned to the High Court to be wound-up over an outstanding debt to HMRC, only for the case to be dismissed a month later in March after the club proved the debt had been paid.

All this allows Bulman to laugh as he reflects on a frantic summer. Loyal servant: Bulman (right) has spent five years at Crawley in two separate spells

‘It’s funny
because for the older players who have been around the place for a
while every day’s just been another day at the office. I was here when
the club nearly went under five or six years ago and through the
controversy with the owners few years ago. So nothing really surprises
us. All the new players were like “what is going on” but for us older
players it was water off a duck’s back.’

Despite these episodes of uncertainty, Crawley have stormed through football’s lower leagues after successive promotions and one leading bookmaker prices them at 4/1 to achieve promotion from League One at the first attempt.

Bulman, however, is less committal. ‘Let’s not beat around the bush, we actually crawled over the line on the last day of the season (Scott Neilson’s 67th minute winner against Accrington Stanley sealed promotion). But we did it. With everything that went on last season – losing £2million worth of talent, our manager jumping ship two months before the end of the season – it was a massive achievement for the boys. You can see what kind of players we have got around the place that we can get promotion under those circumstances.Going places: Crawley celebrate their second successive promotion in May

‘But we are not trying to run before we walk. We are new to the league and we are coming up against teams we have never played before. We want to get as many points as we can, get safe and then kick on from there. We’ll go about our business and see where it takes us. But we are used to winning. Every time we go out on the pitch we want to win games and that winning mentality will hopefully stand us in good stead.’

As will two years of FA Cup success. In 2010, Crawley were unlucky to lose 1-0 to Manchester United in the fourth round. A year later, they got a round further before losing 2-0 to Stoke.

‘It is going to help massively as we are going to big grounds now, the likes of Coventry, Preston and Sheffield United. And hopefully that won’t daunt us because we went to Old Trafford and put on a good show,’ says Bulman. ‘We were up against the likes of Wayne Rooney and almost got a result there ¬ and that was when we were in non-league. We’ve still got the nucleus of that squad and that same never say die attitude.’

There is a new manager to adjust to, however. ‘Sean was a great guy, one of the best coaches I’ve had. We were working on a 4-3-3 early in pre-season but Richie’s come in with his own formation, shape and ideas. He’s very thorough in what he does and gives us a description before the game on each player. Which foot they use, which way they like to go, whether they like to cut inside. And as soon as the game’s over, he’s focused on the next game. It means we have to take a lot in but everything is going alright so far.’

At the helm: New Red Devils boss Richie Barker(right)

Indeed it is. Barker’s boys have won two of their three competitive games this season, including a Capital One Cup victory over Championship Millwall. Impressive work considering Barker’s only been in charge for little more than two weeks. And who knows what Crawley can achieve with a period of sustained calm.

At 33, Bulman accepts his playing days are nearing their end but he’s not ruled out one last flourish. ‘I’m getting older but I seem to be getting promoted a lot now,’ he says. ‘Since I’ve turned 30, I’ve had three promotions in three seasons. So hopefully by the time I’m 37 I’ll be in the Premiership. You never know.’

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